General Park Info

Question 1

Park size

Answer 1

3472 sq miles or 2,221,766 acres

Question 2

Is Yellowstone the largest national park?

Answer 2

Nope. That is Wrangell-St.Elias National Park and Preserve. Death Valley is the largest in the contiguous US (>3 million acres).

Question 3

When did the Yellowstone Volcano last erupt?

Answer 3

about 174,000 years ago, creating the West Thumb. Also 60+ smaller eruptions since, most recently 70,000 years ago.

Question 4

When was the last super eruption?

Answer 4

631,000 years ago, creating the current caldera that is 30 x 45 miles wide.

Question 5

Which president created Yellowstone NP?

Answer 5

Ulysses S. Grant

Question 6

Where should I take my kid fishing around Grant?

Answer 6

Aster Creek near Lewis Falls; Lewis Lake shoreline; pullouts along the South Entrance Road.

Question 7

How many people visited Yellowstone in 2018?

Answer 7

4.1 million. Third busiest on record (winner is 2016).

Question 8

How many people visited NPS sites in 2018?

Answer 8

318.2 million. Third highest since records began in 1904.

Question 9

How many rangers are there at Yellowstone?

Answer 9

382 perm NPS employees, 374 seasonal / term. Not all are “rangers” but all do important work for the park. Also 3200 concessions employees in summer.

Question 10

What is Yellowstone’s budget?

Answer 10

$118.7 mil in 2018. $67.7 from Congress, $51 from fees, donations, other sources.

Question 11

What is the NPS maintenance backlog?

Answer 11

Aging facilities, increased visitation, and resource constraints have kept the maintenance backlog between $11 billion and $12 billion since 2010.

Question 12

How did Yellowstone do for snow this winter?

Answer 12

As of May 24, 2019: 108% of avg. Last year 131%, 2017 142%, 2016 88%